Counter

ABSTRACT

Mechanical counter units each having a plurality of indicator wheels arranged in successively higher order and commonly mounted on a shaft with other identical counter units are disclosed. A pawl actuator serves to advance the counter are disclosed. A pawl actuator serves to advance the counter wheels through arms engageable with a ratchet on each counter. A keeper in the form of a notch carrying ring on the adjacent lower order wheel prevents engagement of the pawl with the ratchet on the higher order wheel until the next lower wheel has rotated a full revolution permitting the pawl to drop into the notch and engage the ratchet. Resetting means include a bushing keyed to the shaft adjacent an end counter wheel. Transfer washers are disposed between the bushing and the counter wheels and between adjacent counter wheels and serve to interlock the wheels in a reset position when the shaft is rotated. In the preferred embodiment, the counters are arranged in a bank within a common housing which is engaged by a locking tray at the individual counter wheel to prevent inadvertent actuation. The entire counter bank assembly is moved away from the tray to unlock and actuate selected counters.

[ June 28, W74

indicator wheels arranged in successively higher order Inventor. CmhbumM ONeal Dallas Tex and commonly mounted on a shaft with other identicalcounter units are disclosed. A pawl actuator serves Assigneer RiversidePress, Dallas, to advance the counter are disclosed. A pawl actuator N024 1972 serves to advance the counter wheels through arms engageablewith a ratchet on each counter. A keeper PP N01 ,193 in the form of anotch carrying ring on the adjacent lower order wheel preventsengagement of the pawl with the ratchet on the higher order wheel untilthe ed a full revolution permit- United States Patent [191 ONeal COUNTER[22] Filed:

next lower wheel has rotat ting the pawl to drop into the notch andengage the ratchet. Resetting means include a bushing keyed to the shaftadjacent an end counter wheel. Transfer ng and the acent counter wheelsWR 3P 1 .l 3 /4 3 54C114 3 6 3 2 0 ,1 7 R2 m mi N 13 a /.l C 1 5/ 5: 4 3M4 ,2 m3 7 1 m 4 .l 5 n, 3 "7 2 mm3 hwy m m U a n e u S I. 0 C I. s cm Umm 3 w ld 5 55 washers are disposed between the bushi counter wheels andbetween adj and serve to interlock the wheels in a reset position whenthe shaft is rotated. In the preferred embodi- [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS mma M WM 0 W e W dS n a mk mw m C a bbm mm a a W ma n w d :Il d n a ew aw m r a m m r e r hn .5 w u u m mm 3km. e nfM r wufi r m E nt m w om ht m u c o T asm hn.l S t odmfi m n u n m mmw m cm aa C 117 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures Primary ExaminerLawrence R. Franklin[57] ABSTRACT Mechanical counter units each having a plurality ofPATENIEDJma m4 SHEU 2 0f 3 FIG. 8

FIG. 6

FIG; 7

FIG. 9

FIG. IO

PATENTED JUN 2 81974 SHEET 3 0F 3 FIG. I2.

COUNTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relatesgenerally to mechanical counters or registers and more particularly to apawl and ratchet type counter or register especially adapted for use ina voting machine and including a mechanism for positively resetting thecounters to the zero position.

Mechanical voting machines are usually equipped with registers ornumerical counters, known as tally counters, which register the numberof votes cast for each candidate or issue and are actuated by the votormoving the corresponding lever on the machine.

It is general practice for the election officials or judges, whensetting up the machines prior to an election, to reset the countingdevices in the machine to zero. The counting devices are customarilythree digit registers which are reset to zero by a manual operation. Forexample, it may be necessary to insert a special counter resetting toolinto the machine and engage the counters separately, rotating themindividually until all the counters are at zero. Obviously, in a votingmachine having capacity for a large number of candidates or issues, thisis a tedious process subject to inadvertence or error in resetting thecounters.

Another problem encountered in voting and like machines using numericalregisters or counters is that they are often susceptible to tampering.The reading on the public counters can be fraudulently altered to add orsubtract votes from the actual number received by the candidate. Suchfraud, if it goes undetected, is a serious interference with thedemocratic process. Such fraud, if detected, will result ininvestigations, election contests and recounts, all of which are at theexpense of the public and serve to lessen the publics already marginalconfidence in the political process.

Therefore, it has been demonstrated that a need exists for a highlyreliable counter mechanism adaptable for use in voting machines whichcan be easily reset and which is not easily susceptible to tampering orinadvertent actuation. The register should be of a substantial designcapable of long life without undue wear or need for repair andreplacement. Further, a register of the type described should becompact, having a minimum number of parts which can be easily assembledand installed and operate with a high degree of reliability. Finally,the register or counter should include a resetting mechanism which canbe easily manipulated and which permits multiple counters to be resetsimultaneously.

The present invention provides a counter mechanism which can be mountedon common parallel shafts along with other counter mechanisms of thesame design. Each counter comprises multiple adjacent counter wheels,each having a toothed ratchet wheel. Pawl arms activated through cammeans serve to selectively engage the ratchet wheel to selectively shiftthe counter wheels about the shaft to register a vote. Rotation of themounting shaft causes the counter wheels to be commonly reset to thezero position. The resetting is accomplished through locking washersinterposed between adjacent counter wheels which cause the wheels tocouple or interlock at an aligned position when the common shaft isrotated.

Further, the present invention makes provision for means that positivelylock the counters against inadvertent or fraudulent actuation andshields the counters so that they are generally inaccessible to preventtampering. The counter wheels are engaged by a locking tray whichsecures all the counters in position until the main voting lever isactuated. Only then are the counters released for actuation andimmediately after actuation they are returned to engagement with thelocking tray.

The above and other advantages of the present inven tion will becomemore apparent from the description and from the drawings attached heretoin which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the counter assembly, thehousing being patially broken away to expose the counter mechanism ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the counter housing along the axis ofthe counter mounting shaft;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of a counter in a locked position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of the counter and pawl mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the counter and pawl mechanism shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detailed front view of a counter wheel;

FIG. 7 is a side view looking toward the left side of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view looking toward the right side of FIG.6;

FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating the counter wheels assembled as acounter unit;

FIG. 10 is a partially exploded view of the principal operating parts ofthe counter of the present invention; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are exploded perspective views illustrating the detailsand operation of the resetting mechanism.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 10 generally denotesthe counter housing assembly which contains a plurality of individualcounters or registers 11. Counter housing 10 and the individual counterassemblies 11 included therein would be located, for example, within theconfines of a voting machine. For brevity and simplicity, only thoseparts of the voting machine necessary to an understanding of theinvention will be described as the voting machine only serves as onemeans of actuation of the present invention and per se comprises no partof the present invention. In the event that additional details of theconstruction and operation of a typical voting machine are desired,reference is made to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,969, issuedto C. M. ONeal on Aug. 18, 1970.

The construction of the individual counter wheels and counter assembliesis best seen in FIGS. 4 through 8. Referring to those FIGURES, thecounter units 11 are of similar construction and a description of asingle assembly will apply equally to all. Each assembly includescounter wheels 31, 32, and 33 mounted adjacent one another and rotatableabout shaft 25 and accommodated thereon by a bore 28 centrally locatedin the wheels. The counter wheel includes a main drum or disk member 55.Each drum 55 is generally circular having 10 projecting peripheralsurfaces 61 equally spaced and separated by notches 58. Each surface 61is provided with numerals thereon, the numerals from zero through nineconsecutively. The numerals are shown as being slightly raised abovesurface 61 to per mit the numerical readings indicated on the countersto be recorded by a transfer or contact printing operation onto apermanent record sheet.

As best seen in FIG. 6, one side of the number wheel 55 is provided witha flange which is in the form of an annular ring 56 concentric to thebore 28 at a location radially inward of the base of notches 58. Theouter periphery on the ring 56 has a cam groove defined by sides 62 and64 and corresponding in shape to the space between adjacent ratchetteeth 66 located on the opposite side of the disk. Ring 56 with groove60 cooperates with the pawl and adjacent ratchet teeth, as will be morefully explained hereafter, to serve as a transfer means between adjacentcounter wheels to permit engagement and the advancement of an adjacenthigher order number wheel only when the lower order wheel has rotated acomplete revolution.

Within its interior, ring 56 defines a recess 72 having a surface 67.Right angle shoulder 68 extends from bore 28 in surface 72, radiallyaligned with the center of the number surface 61 bearing the numeral 9.The bottom surface 67 of recess 72 tapers in one quadrant, as shown, tothe bottom edge of the shoulder 68.

The opposite side of number drum 55 is provided with a ratchet wheel 65having a series of ten equally spaced ratchet teeth 66 around theperiphery of the wheel. Circular hub 69 projects from ratchet wheel 65concentric to the bore 28 having locking surface 70 thereon. A shoulder71 extends radially toward the projected center of the surface bearingthe numeral 4 across surface 70. One quadrant of surface 70 is taperedto the bottom of shoulder 71. Locking surface 70 cooperates with lockingsurface 67 of the adjacent counter to reset the counters as will beexplained hereafter. For economy and weight reduction, the counterwheels are preferably formed of a light plastic such as polycarbonate orother resin in a molding operation. Having described the construction ofthe individual number wheels, reference will be had to FIGS. 4, 5, andfor understanding of the operation of the counter unit.

Assembly 11 is mounted for rotation upon shaft 25 and includes counterwheel 31 and identical counter wheels 32 and 33 arranged in sets ofthree, or any other desired number to form a counter unit and ascendingin order from right to left. Counter wheel 31 occupies the unit space,32 in the tens, and 33 in the hundreds. The counters are assembled withhub 69, for example, of wheel 33 engaged within the circular recess 72of the adjacent number wheel 32 so that ratchet wheel 65 of counters 32and 33 are directly engaging rings 56 of counters 31 and 32. It will beseen that the outer diameter of the circular ring 56 is slightly greaterthan the matching diameter of the tip of the teeth of ratchet wheel 65.A thrust washer 75 is inserted between the bottom of recess 72 andsurface 70 on hub 69 to facilitate the resetting of the counters as willbe more fully explained hereafter.

During the registering operation, the individual counter wheels areshifted through a pawl assembly 24. The corresponding pawl assembly foreach counter assembly is mounted on a parallel shaft adjacent theassociated counters. For example, the pawl assemblies on shaft 26 areadapted to actuate the counter assemblies 11 on adjacent shaft 25. Thepawl mounted on shaft 40 serves to actuate the counter on the nextsuccessive shaft. Each pawl assembly 24 includes pawl carrier member 36which is rotatable about its mounting shaft.

Extending towards the counter assembly from carrier 36 are members 38and 39 which support pawl shaft 40. At one end of the carrier 36 isactuation arm 43 having recess 44 therein to assure positive actuationof the pawls. The pawl assemblies 24 are positioned on their respectiveshafts with end 43 accessible through openings 19 in panel 12 so thatactuation rods 22 can depend into recess 44 of the cam surfaces. Oneactuation rod is shown in FIG. 1, it being understood that one isprovided corresponding to each pawl and counter assembly.

Pivotally mounted on shaft 40 of pawl carrier 36 are individual pawlarms 47, 48 and 49 which extend forwardly and each terminates in notchedend 50. The notched end 50 of pawl arm 49 engages ratchet wheel ofcounter wheel 31. When pawl carrier 36 is rotated about its shaft awayfrom the counter wheel, the pawl arms will retract, causing the engagedcounter wheels to shift.

The notched ends of pawl arms 47 and 48 extend, respectively, betweencounters 32 and 33, and 31 and 32, and are in selected engagement withthe ratchet teeth of wheels 32 and 33. The width of pawl arms 47 and 48exceeds the width of ratchet teeth 66 so that arms 47 and 48 occupyalmost the entire space between the ratchet wheels. Thus, it will beseen that the notched end 50 of pawl arms 47 and 48 will not bepermitted to engage the ratchet wheel of counters 32 and 33, except whenadjacent wheels 31 and 32 are shifted so that cam notch 60 in flange 56of the respective wheels permits end 50 to drop into and engage teeth66. Thus, flange 56 serves as a transfer mechanism to the higher ordercounter wheels by means of which an adjacent higher order wheel will beshifted by the pawl arms only when the adjacent lower order wheel hascompleted a full revolution. Unit wheel 31 is always engaged and will beactuated whenever pawls retract, while higher order wheels 32 and 33 areintermittently actuated.

It will be observed that each of pawl arms 46, 48, and 49 areindependently hinged to shaft 40 at hubs 41. Hubs 41 are formed eachhaving opposite approximately semi-circular extensions 98 and 99 ateither end of the hub so that adjacent hubs interlock as seen in FIG. 4.A small clearance space 100 is provided at the interlocking surfaces. Inthis way, each pawl arm is permitted some downward freedom of movement,but will pick up the next adjacent higher order pawl arms when upwardlydisplaced. For example, pawl arm 48 can drop into its associated notchbetween the counter wheels 31 and 32 without moving arms 47 and 49.However, when the surface at 56 lifts arm 48, arm 47 will be interlockedand also caused to raise. This prevents any inadvertent actuation of thenext higher order wheels.

A retainer in the form of a spring 52, FIG. 5, is provided to bias thepawl a rms toward their respective ratchet wheels and maintain contact.Spring 52 has upper fingers 53 which extend along the upper surfaces ofpawl arm 47, 48, and 49. Springs 52 are secured around pawl carrier 36and compressed against the pawl fingers by engagement with the undersideof panel 12. Lower fingers 51 terminate in detents 54 which engage notch58 in each of the counter wheels to retain the wheels from being rotatedthrough frictional contact with an adjacent actuated wheel.

Although the counter mechanism 11 can be used singly in an applicationsuch as a counter for a machine tool, the counters of the presentinvention are particularly adaptable for an arrangement as seen in FIG.ll, having multiple counters in a single housing. Housing is providedwith upper panel 12 which is generally planar, having cut-out windowsections l3 at locations corresponding to the location of the countermechanisms 111 through which the counters can be viewed. Openings .19 inpanel 12 provide access to the pawl actuating cam 43 to permit insertionof an actuation lever 22, which, for example, would be linked to avoting key in a voting machine.

As seen in PK]. 2, the body of housing lltl is in the form of a trayhaving staggered parallel rib sections 114 between which the individualcounter assemblies ll are mounted. The housing tray can be made of anysuitable material. However, for strength and lightness, moldedconstruction of a plastic, such as polyurethane, is preferable. Accessto the counter housing would generally be through a removable coverplate in the voting machine which would be sealed after the machine isserviced for an election.

Immediately subjacent housing 10 is locking tray 20. Locking tray has aplurality of semicircular indentations 21 which correspond in locationand shape to the counter assemblies. H68. 2 and 3 show the counterstightly received in indentations 21 in a locked position with ridges 23therein engaging peripheral notches 58 on the individual counter wheels.Since the outer periphery of the counter assemblies 111 is tightlyengaged against the surface of indentations 21, they cannot, in thisposition, be rotated. Thus, a positive lock against inadvertentactuation is provided. Similarly, once the voting machine is readied foran election, the locking tray blocks access to the counters withoutdismantling the machine, thereby effectively discouraging intentionaltampering with counters.

The locking tray 20 is fixed and housing 10 is hinged through a camlever 17 which is pivotal to raise the housing 10 into or out ofengagement with the tray 20. By rotation of cam lever 17, housing lOiscaused to raise to disengage from the counter and is then shiftedleftwardly as shown by the arrow, looking at FIG. 1, to actuate thecounters. Upon completion of the cycle, housing 10 returns to its lockedposition. The drive means and linkages for actuating lever 17 andreciprocating housing 10 are not shown as any number of conventionallyknown mechanisms can be used and further description is not deemednecessary to a complete understanding of the present invention.

The operation of the counter described herein will be apparent from thefollowing description with the tray 20 tray assembly installed in aconventional mechanical lever type voting machine in which a counter isprovided corresponding to each selection lever on the machine. When thevoter has made his selection, depressing the appropriate keys on themachine, he will cause through linkages (not shown), blocking rods 22corresponding to the selections to move downwardly through accessopenings 19 in panel 12 into engagement with positive recess means 44 ofcam surface 43. When the voter has completed making all his selections,he will. throw the main vote registering lever which will actuatecounter housing 10,. causing cam lever 17 to pivot, moving housing 10out of engagement with tray 20.

As the housing l0 moves to the left, pawl carrier 36 will be rotated asthe end of rod 22 engages recess 43.

The rotation of carrier 36 retracts pawl fingers 47, 43, and 49 whichare held adjacent their respective counter wheels by biasing spring 52.

Assuming the counter is registering 999, as shown in FIG. 9, when theactuation cycle begins, pawl 49 will be in engagement with a tooth 66 ofratchet wheel 65 of counter wheel 3ll. Pawl 48 will drop into surface 64of notch 60 formed in flange member 56. As actuation cam 43 causes thepawl fingers to be actuated, the notched end 50 of pawl 43 will engageshoulder 62 in annular ring 56 and will also simultaneously engage aratchet tooth 66 of adjacent counter wheel 32. Thus, as the pawl fingers48 and 49 are retracted, both counter wheels 31 and 32 will be rotatedthrough one-tenth of a revolution. Counter wheel 31 will advance,rotating the zero into position under counter window l3 and higher ordercounter wheel 32 will be advanced to cause the zero reading to bereplaced by the digit ll. On the next subsequent actuation of cam 43,again pawl fingers 47 and 48 will be kept out of engagement with thegear teeth 66 on counter wheels 32 and 33 by virtue of flange 56 on theleft side of counter wheels 31 and 32. Counter wheel 32 will not becaused to rotate until counter wheel 31 has again advanced to indicate adigit 9 appearing thereon. Similarly, as described above, when thereading 99 appears on counters 311 and 32, all three counter wheels willbe permitted to advance onetenth of a revolution on the next actuationthereby registering the number 1100 as both wheels 31 and 32 will haveadvanced to where pawl fingers 47 and 48 can engage their respectiveratchet wheels. Thus, the annular flange 56 between adjacent countersserves as an integral part of a transfer mechanism controlling theactuation of the higher order wheels.

As previously stated, one essential feature of this invention is theprovision of an improved resetting mechanism which allows all thecounter assemblies on a common shaft to be commonly reset. In this way,the resetting function is rendered more convenient for the operator notrequiring a multiplicity of repetitive steps.

As described above, the complete counter assembly includes a series ofcounter wheels 311, 32, and 33 commonly mounted on a shaft. Resetting isaccomplished by rotating the shaft in the direction of the pawlactuation, as indicated, causing end counter wheel 33 to rotatetherewith by means of a drive bushing 30 and thrust washer '75. Apick-up coupling between the wheels, including washers interposedbetween adjacent counter wheels in cooperation with coupling or lockingsurfaces on the adjacent wheel surface, causes the wheels toprogressively interlock in resetting alignment as will be explained.

FIGS. llil, ill, and l2 best show the assembly of the counter unit andthe components of the resetting mechanism. Main drive shaft 25 isprovided with an axially extending flattened portion 79. A circulardrive bushing 30 mounted thereon has a central bore 31 to accommodatethe shaft which corresponds in shape to the cross-section of the shaft,and, therefore, will be caused to rotate with the shaft when shaft 25 isrotated through knob 27. Drive surface 32 of bushing is generally planarhaving a reduced depth locking segment 34 formed in one quadrant of thesurface. A right angle lip 83 and a taper lip portion 33 extend fromlower locking surface 84 to surface 32 of drive washer 80.

Drive bushing 80 is received within recess 72 of wheel 33 as set forthabove. The bottom of recess 72 is formed having a radial lip 68extending from the circular bore 63 radially to the outer edge. Thesurface 67 of recess 72 is generally planar but is tapered gradually inone-quarter of the surface to the lower edge of depression 68.

Interposed between drum bushing 80 and locking surface 67 of counterwheel 33, completing the coupling, is'thrust washer 90. Thrust washer 90is a thin, deflectable circular member corresponding in diameter tobushing 80 and having peripheral tabs 92 and 93 formed therein. Tab 92is bent to project above the surface of washer 90 and tab 93 isoppositely bent to project below the surface of the washer as seen inFIG. 11.

Upon normal registering operation, counter wheel 33 rotates and washer80 remains stationary. Tab 93 on thrust washer 90 extending towardcounter wheel 33 will simply be depressed by surface 67 as rotationoccurs and no locking engagement will occur. Similarly, thrust washer 90will be permitted to rotate relative to stationary lock washer 80 as tab92 will be depressed by drive surface 82 and not fall into lockingengagement with shoulder 83 of washer 80.

In order to reset the number wheels, shaft 25 is turned with knob 27located at the outer end of the shaft adjacent the edge of housing 11.Rotation of shaft 25 in the resetting direction shown will impartrotation to washer 80, since bushing 80 is keyed to the shaft by flat79. As bushing 80 rotates, shoulder 83 will engage the end of tab 92,thereby causing thrust washer 90 to rotate along with bushing 80. Asbushing 80 and washer 90 rotate together, tab 93 of washer 90 willengage shoulder 68 on surface 69 of wheel 33, thereby picking up wheel33 and causing it also to rotate.

Rotation of wheel 33 will, in'turn, be imparted to adjacent counterwheel 32. As seen in FIG. 12, the side of wheel 33 opposite washer 80 isprovided with an annular hub 69 extending outwardly from ratchet wheel65. Hub 69 is provided with a tapered notch which terminates in radialedge 71. Thrust washer 90, identical to the washer described above, isplaced adjacent the hub on shaft 25. The thrust washer 90 and, hub 69are received in recess 72 of the adjacent counter 32. Recess 72 incounter 32 is provided with locking surface 67, also as described above.

Thus, as counter wheel 33 is caused to rotate through the manualactuation of shaft 25, adjacent counter wheel 32 will be impartedrotation. Counter wheel 33 will rotate until shoulder 71 engages tab 92of thrust washer 90, causing it to rotate along the counter wheel.Thrust washer 90 will rotate opposite tab 93 into engagement withshoulder 68 of counter wheel 32. Counter wheels 33 and 32 are then inlocked rotational alignment. It will be noted that thrust washer 93 isconstructed with tabs 92 and 93 oppositely extending and diametricallyopposed. Similarly, notch 71 on surface 70 of counter wheel 33 and notch68 on surface 67 of counter wheel 32 are spaced 180 apart with referenceto the numerals appearing on the periphery of the wheels. By virtue ofthis relationship, coupling engagement between adjacent counter wheelswill occur when the numerals on wheel 33 are aligned with the identicalnumerals on corresponding counter wheel 32.

Similarly, the locking surfaces on adjacent counter wheels 32 and 31will become engaged through interposed thrust washer 90 so that counterwheel 31 will be picked up and locked in rotational alignment withcounter wheels 33 and 32. All three of the counter wheels are nowaligned and rotation of knob 27 will be continued until the reading 000appears in windows 13 of housing surface 11. It will, of course, beobvious that any number of counters could be commonly arranged on shaft27 and that they would be successively locked in alignment by the resetmechanism described above. The assembly of the counters and locking onadjacent shaft 26 is identical with that described with reference toshaft 25. Note also that in FIG. 1, the knob 27 in the outer ends ofshafts 26 has been omitted for clarity.

It is believed that the apparatus will be fully understood in light ofthe above detailed description and summary of the sequence of operationof the counter when used in connection with a voting machine. Because ofthe positive locking mechanism provided, the counters have particularapplicability to use in connection with voting machines but, of course,can be used singly or in multiple groups in a wide variety ofapplications such as odometers, timing devices and the like. The counterassembly can be used without the locking tray and independently thereof.Also, the counters can be used without the resetting mechanism describedabove. Similarly, the resetting mechanism described above can be used inconnection with counter wheels of a construction other than thatdescribed herein.

Thus, the present invention provides a counter registering mechanism anda resetting mechanism which are highly accurate and reliable and whichcan easily be fabricated by well-known conventional stamping and moldingtechniques. Various parts of the assembly are relatively simple andassembled in an uncomplicated manner to provide a high degree ofreliability. Such reliability is particularly important when used withthe voting machine as a malfunction could require recounts or electioncontests which can be expensive and time-consuming.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawingsand described above, it will be obvious that various changes may be madein the form, structure and arrangement of the parts without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

I. In a voting machine having multiple selection mechanisms, a countermechanism comprising:

a housing member having multiple aligned openings therein and carryingat least two parallel spaced apart shafts,

a plurality of counter indicating assemblies in registry with theopenings and rotatable about one of said shafts,

said housing and indicating assemblies adapted for movement to anactuation position in response to actuation of the selection mechanisms,

each of said assemblies having a plurality of numeral wheels rotatablymounted to said one shaft including a first wheel for indication of theunits digit and succeeding wheels spaced apart and arranged in ascendingorder, each of said drums being numbered on the periphery from 0 through9 successively,

ratchet wheels in the form of gear teeth affixed to one side of each ofthe numeral wheels,

a pawl carrier mounted on the other of said shafts adjacent said counterassembly and having cam means thereon,

a first pawl arm operatively connected to said pawl carrier and having anotched end engaged in the ratchet means associated with said firstwheel whereby actuation of said cam will shift said first pawl meansthereby rotating said first wheel by one digit,

second pawl arms operatively connected to said pawl carrier and havingnotched ends each adapted to engage the ratchet wheel of one of thehigher order wheels,

generally annular surface on each wheel opposite the ratchet teeth andadjacent the ratchet teeth of the next higher order wheel, said surfaceadapted to keep said second pawl means out of engagement with theassociated ratchet, cam means in said surface permitting the notchedends of said second pawls to engage the associated gear only when thenext successive lower order wheel has assumed a predetermined rotativeposition,

hub means interconnecting said first and second pawl arms for seriallyinterlocking said pawl arms, whereby each of said second pawl arms isallowed to move to said position of operative engagement only if thenext lower order pawl arm is in a position of operative engagement,

a locking tray having indentations therein corresponding to the counterassemblies, said locking tray engaging the periphery of the counterwheels in a non-actuated position,

lever rod means each associated with and responsive to one of saidselection mechanisms and adapted to move into actuating relationshipwith said pawl arm cam means in response to actuation of said selectionmechanism, and

actuation means for moving said housing and said assemblies fromengagement with said locking tray to said actuation position therebyactuating said pawl arm cam means engaged by said rods to actuate saidassemblies and register voters selections.

2. The apparatus of claim ll further including means for resetting thecounters commonly mounted on the same shaft.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including spring means engaging said firstand second, pawl arms biasing said pawl arms toward engagement withtheir respective associated ratchet wheels and detent means engagingsaid counter wheels to constrain said wheels against actuation except bythe associated pawl.

4. The apparatus of claim l wherein said cam means mounted on said pawlcarrier is provided with a recess therein adapted to receive the end ofan actuation rod thereby providing said pawl carrier with positiontwoway actuation upon reciprocation of said housing.

5. A counter comprising:

a shaft,

a plurality of counter wheel members rotatably mounted about said shaftincluding a first wheel for indication of the units digits andsucceeding wheels spaced apart arranged inascending order, each of saidwheels being numbered on the periphery from through 9 successively,

ratchet wheels in the form of gear teeth affixed to a first side of eachof the numeral wheels,

LII

Jltll a pawl carrier mounted adjacent said counter wheels and having cammeans thereon responsive to operator actuation to pivot said pawlcarrier,

first pawl arm operatively connected to said pawl carrier and having anotched end engaged in the ratchet wheel associated with said firstcounter wheel whereby actuation of said cam will shift said first pawlmeans thereby rotating said first counter wheel to advance said firstcounter wheel by one digit,

second pawl arms operatively connected to said pawl carrier and havingnotched ends extending into the spaces between successive counter wheelsand engageable with the ratchet wheels associated with the successivecounter wheels.

disengagement means including a generally annular surface associatedwith the counter wheels and extending into the spaces between saidcounter wheels adjacent the ratchet wheel on the next adjacent counterwheel, said surface adapted to keep said second pawl means out ofengagement with the associated ratchet wheel, and cam means in saidsurface permitting said notched ends of said second pawls to engagetheir associated ratchet gear wheel only when the next adjacent lowerorder counter wheel has assumed a predetermined rotative position, and

articulated hub means having interlocking surfaces for operablyinterconnecting adjacent pawl arms at said pawl carrier whereby eachpawl arm is moveable into engagement with said one of said ratchetwheels independent of the other pawl arms but when moved out ofengagement with its associated ratchet wheel will interlock and move thenext higher order pawl arm out of engagement with its associated ratchetwheel.

6. The counter of claim 5 including biasing means biasing said first andsecond pawl arms toward engagement with their respective ratchet gearteeth.

7. The counter of claim 5 including resetting means whereby rotation ofsaid shaft in a predetermined direction will reset the counter wheels sothat the same numeral is aligned on all said wheels.

8. The counter of claim 5 wherein multiple counters are arranged on acommon shaft to form a counter tray and further including locking means,said locking means comprising a locking plate adapted to engage theperiphery of the counters in a locked position and means for selectivelymoving said counter tray to an unlocked actuating position.

9. The counter of claim wherein said locking means comprises meansengaging the periphery of said counter wheels to prevent movement, saidlocking means and said counters being moved apart to release saidcounters.

ill). The counter of claim 5 including locking means adapted to locksaid counters against actuation except when said locking means arereleased during the actuation sequence in response to proper operatoractuation.

llll. The counter of claim ill) wherein multiple counters are commonlyarranged on said shaft and the corresponding pawl carriers for themultiple counters are arranged on a parallel shaft.

112. The counter of claim ill wherein said counters are arranged in avoting machine and said actuation comprises a voting operation whereinselections are made and further including lever rod means adapted forinterconnecting said voting machine and said counters whereby actuationof said counters is initiated through actuation of a main voting controlto register said votes on said counters 13. A counter comprising:

a plurality of adjacent indicating wheels arranged in successivelyhigher numerical order and rotatable about a shaft and each providedwith a sequential series of indicia thereon,

ratchet means associated with each of said indicating wheel,

pawl means adapted to engage said ratchet means,

said pawl means having a first pawl arm in engagement with the firstratchet means associated with the lowest order wheel and second pawlarms forming a connection with the ratchet means on the successivehigher order wheels,

means operative with said pawl means to move said pawl means through anactuation cycle causing said first pawl arm to engage said first ratchetmeans and rotate said lowest order wheel and said second pawl arms tomove to a position of operative engagement with the ratchet means onsaid higher order wheels,

cam means adapted for disengagement of the second pawl arms with thenext higher order ratchet wheel except when the adjacent lower orderwheel has completed a revolution, and

hub means interconnecting said pawl means for serially interlocking saidpawl arms, whereby each of said second pawl arms is allowed to move tosaid position of operative engagement only if the next lower order pawlarm is in a position of operative engagement.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said indication wheels arerotatable numeral wheels sequentially numbered 0 through 9 around theperiphery and wherein said cam associated with said wheels permitsactuation of the next higher order wheel only subsequent to when saidadjacent lower order wheel has registered the number 9.

15. The counter of claim 13 including means for commonly resetting theindicating wheels to zero.

16. The counter of claim 13 wherein said hub means comprises a hub oneach pawl arm with interlocking surfaces between adjacent pawl arms.

17. The counter of claim 16 wherein said interlocking surfaces betweenadjacent pawl arms comprise a semi-circular extension on the hub of oneadjacent pawl arm mating with a semi-circular indentation on the hub ofthe other adjacent pawl arm.

1. In a voting machine having multiple selection mechanisms, a countermechanism comprising: a housing member having multiple aligned openingstherein and carrying at least two parallel spaced apart shafts, aplurality of counter indicating assemblies in registry with the openingsand rotatable about one of said shafts, said housing and indicatingassemblies adapted for movement to an actuation position in response toactuation of the selection mechanisms, each of said assemblies having aplurality of numeral wheels rotatably mounted to said one shaftincluding a first wheel for indication of the units digit and succeedingwheels spaced apart and arranged in ascending order, each of said drumsbeing numbered on the periphery from 0 through 9 successively, ratchetwheels in the form of gear teeth affixed to one side of each of thenumeral wheels, a pawl carrier mounted on the other of said shaftsadjacent said counter assembly and having cam means thereon, a firstpawl arm operatively connected to said pawl carrier and having a notchedend engaged in the ratchet means associated with said first wheelwhereby actuation of said cam will shift said first pawl means therebyrotating said first wheel by one digit, second pawl arms operativelyconnected to said pawl carrier and having notched ends each adapted toengage the ratchet wheel of one of the higher order wheels, a generallyannular surface on each wheel opposite the ratchet teeth and adjacentthe ratchet teeth of the next higher order wheel, said surface adaptedto keep said second pawl means out of engagement with the associatedratchet, cam means in said surface permitting the notched ends of saidsecond pawls to engage the associated gear only when the next successivelower order wheel has assumed a predetermined rotative position, hubmeans interconnecting said first and second pawl arms for seriallyinterlocking said pawl arms, whereby each of said second pawl arms isallowed to move to said position of operative engagement only if thenext lower order pawl arm is in a position of operative engagement, alocking tray having indentations therein corresponding to the counterassemblies, said locking tray engaging the periphery of the counterwheels in a non-actuated position, lever rod means each associated withand responsive to one of said selection mechanisms and adapted to moveinto actuating relationship with said pawl arm cam means in response toactuation of said selection mechanism, and actuation means for movingsaid housing and said assemblies from engagement with said locking trayto said actuation position thereby actuating said pawl arm cam meansengaged by said rods to actuate said assemblies and register votersselections.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including means forresetting the counters commonly mounted on the same shaft.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 including spring means engaging said first andsecond pawl arms biasing said pawl arms toward engagement with theirrespective associated ratchet wheels and detent means engaging saidcounter wheels to constrain said wheels against actuation except by theassociated pawl.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cam meansmounted on said pawl carrier is provided with a recess therein adaptedto receive the end of an actuation rod thereby providing said pawlcarrier with position two-way actuation upon reciprocation of saidhousing.
 5. A counter comprising: a shaft, a plurality of counter wheelmembers rotatably mounted about said shaft including a first wheel forindication of the units digits and succeeding wheels spaced apartarranged in ascending order, each of said wheels being numbered on theperiphery from 0 through 9 successively, ratchet wheels in the form ofgear teeth affixed to a first side of each of the numeral wheels, a pawlcarrier mounted adjacent said counter wheels And having cam meansthereon responsive to operator actuation to pivot said pawl carrier,first pawl arm operatively connected to said pawl carrier and having anotched end engaged in the ratchet wheel associated with said firstcounter wheel whereby actuation of said cam will shift said first pawlmeans thereby rotating said first counter wheel to advance said firstcounter wheel by one digit, second pawl arms operatively connected tosaid pawl carrier and having notched ends extending into the spacesbetween successive counter wheels and engageable with the ratchet wheelsassociated with the successive counter wheels. disengagement meansincluding a generally annular surface associated with the counter wheelsand extending into the spaces between said counter wheels adjacent theratchet wheel on the next adjacent counter wheel, said surface adaptedto keep said second pawl means out of engagement with the associatedratchet wheel, and cam means in said surface permitting said notchedends of said second pawls to engage their associated ratchet gear wheelonly when the next adjacent lower order counter wheel has assumed apredetermined rotative position, and articulated hub means havinginterlocking surfaces for operably interconnecting adjacent pawl arms atsaid pawl carrier whereby each pawl arm is moveable into engagement withsaid one of said ratchet wheels independent of the other pawl arms butwhen moved out of engagement with its associated ratchet wheel willinterlock and move the next higher order pawl arm out of engagement withits associated ratchet wheel.
 6. The counter of claim 5 includingbiasing means biasing said first and second pawl arms toward engagementwith their respective ratchet gear teeth.
 7. The counter of claim 5including resetting means whereby rotation of said shaft in apredetermined direction will reset the counter wheels so that the samenumeral is aligned on all said wheels.
 8. The counter of claim 5 whereinmultiple counters are arranged on a common shaft to form a counter trayand further including locking means, said locking means comprising alocking plate adapted to engage the periphery of the counters in alocked position and means for selectively moving said counter tray to anunlocked actuating position.
 9. The counter of claim 8 wherein saidlocking means comprises means engaging the periphery of said counterwheels to prevent movement, said locking means and said counters beingmoved apart to release said counters.
 10. The counter of claim 5including locking means adapted to lock said counters against actuationexcept when said locking means are released during the actuationsequence in response to proper operator actuation.
 11. The counter ofclaim 10 wherein multiple counters are commonly arranged on said shaftand the corresponding pawl carriers for the multiple counters arearranged on a parallel shaft.
 12. The counter of claim 11 wherein saidcounters are arranged in a voting machine and said actuation comprises avoting operation wherein selections are made and further including leverrod means adapted for interconnecting said voting machine and saidcounters whereby actuation of said counters is initiated throughactuation of a main voting control to register said votes on saidcounters.
 13. A counter comprising: a plurality of adjacent indicatingwheels arranged in successively higher numerical order and rotatableabout a shaft and each provided with a sequential series of indiciathereon, ratchet means associated with each of said indicating wheel,pawl means adapted to engage said ratchet means, said pawl means havinga first pawl arm in engagement with the first ratchet means associatedwith the lowest order wheel and second pawl arms forming a connectionwith the ratchet means on the successive higher order wheels, meansoperative with said pawl means to move said pawl means through anactuation cycle causing said first pawl arm to engage said first ratchetmeAns and rotate said lowest order wheel and said second pawl arms tomove to a position of operative engagement with the ratchet means onsaid higher order wheels, cam means adapted for disengagement of thesecond pawl arms with the next higher order ratchet wheel except whenthe adjacent lower order wheel has completed a revolution, and hub meansinterconnecting said pawl means for serially interlocking said pawlarms, whereby each of said second pawl arms is allowed to move to saidposition of operative engagement only if the next lower order pawl armis in a position of operative engagement.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13wherein said indication wheels are rotatable numeral wheels sequentiallynumbered 0 through 9 around the periphery and wherein said camassociated with said wheels permits actuation of the next higher orderwheel only subsequent to when said adjacent lower order wheel hasregistered the number
 9. 15. The counter of claim 13 including means forcommonly resetting the indicating wheels to zero.
 16. The counter ofclaim 13 wherein said hub means comprises a hub on each pawl arm withinterlocking surfaces between adjacent pawl arms.
 17. The counter ofclaim 16 wherein said interlocking surfaces between adjacent pawl armscomprise a semi-circular extension on the hub of one adjacent pawl armmating with a semi-circular indentation on the hub of the other adjacentpawl arm.